Reasons
by TweetyPie82
Summary: What if there was a reason other than Jarod finding out what his sims were used for before escaping the Centre? What if he found out someone else is wanted just as badly as him by Mr. Raines?
1. Prolog

_**Disclaimer:**__ Jarod and the Centre do not belong to me, but they do belong to Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. Only Shania Blankenship, her relationships with everyone, and the plot are mine. So please ask before using them (Ok, so not really the concept of the plot). This is a work in progress, so please bear with me for however long it takes to finish._

**Reasons**

**By TweetyPie82**

_**Prolog**_

_(The Centre; Blue Cove, DE; 1995)_

"Jarod, tell me what caused the crash…" The voice belonging to an older gentleman with a very distinct accent prodded. This man dressed in a suit and tie walked around the room, his hands clasped together behind him. It was clear that he was the one in charge. He stopped behind a much younger, dark haired man sitting in a chair at a table in the center of the darkened room. He was waiting for an answer.

"Sydney, it was…" The seated man spoke as he turns to face the older gentleman revealing a mole on his right cheek, and trailed off as a labored male breath rolled to both men's ears. It was clearly irate and dripping with a venomous tone. The two men paused just long enough to overhear what the situation was all about.

"I want that girl! I don't care how long it takes, or how you go about doing it! If her parents don't want to hand her over, do something about it. That girl is going to start a new program here, and she is even more 'special' than Jarod." The labored voice told someone as it was no doubt in the hall right outside the room.

"Yes, Mr. Raines." Two more male voices answered in a much healthier state. Two sets of footsteps clicked down the hall in a hurry. Another set sauntered down in the opposite direction, accompanied by the squeaking tire of an oxygen tank. The reactions in the two men hidden in the room were carefully guarded. The one named Jarod knew immediately what he had to do. He had to help her. The one named Sydney knew that he needed to keep his mouth shut if he wanted to stay alive and in one piece. Everyone in the building knows that the corporation known as the Centre is a ruthless, cutthroat employer to work for.


	2. The Meeting

_**Disclaimer:**__ Jarod and the Centre do not belong to me, but they do belong to Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. Only Shania Blankenship, her relationships with everyone, and the plot are mine. So please ask before using them (Ok, so not really the concept of the plot). This is a work in progress, so please bear with me for however long it takes to finish._

**Reasons**

**By TweetyPie82**

_**Chapter One: The Meet**_

_(Houston, TX; A few months later)_

The dark haired gentleman with a mole on his right cheekbone stood on the sidewalk holding a small red notebook in his hand. Across the street from where he stood, a brunet female child gazed out the curtained window in a heart lurching, sad way. Behind her sat a baby grand piano, the keyboard closed and a very expensive looking locket hung from her neck. The man looked on for a few moments before opening up the notebook to reveal a newspaper clipping, the headline reads:

_**TWELEVE YEAR OLD PRODIGY GIRL ORPHANED IN MYSTERIOUS STAGE ACCIDENT**_

The man thumbed through some more pages of clippings before finally stopping and looking at the girl in the children's home across the street. After a few moments the girl turned away from the window to face the piano behind her. He watched as she tenderly ran her hand across the keys before taking a seat at the bench. He could feel her close her eyes as she began a flawless, but sadden, rendition of "Gaspard de la nuit: Trois poèmes pour piano d'après Aloysius Bertrand". He listened for a bit as the sad notes flowed to him, and his heart felt for the girl. After listening for a moment, he turned and walked away.

_(Houston, TX; Children's Home)_

"Shania, there is someone here to see you," the nice lady, who was in charge of her group, announced to the room of children. Their outside time had been moved inside due to the nasty weather. A brunet girl snapped her head up as her name was heard. The child got to her feet and walked up the caretaker before following her down some halls and around some turns. After a few minutes, they arrived to an office and the caretaker opened the door before ushering the girl inside.

As Shania walked behind the caretaker, her nervousness and anxiety rose with each step she took. Since she witnessed the stage implode under parents with fatal consequences, she hadn't said much of anything to anyone or had a decent night's sleep. She felt guilty for not insisting on inspecting the structure as she normally did. Just before everything came down, she remembered seeing a device or two strapped to the support beams. Her mind and focus returned to the present as soon as she approached an office door and was soon usher in. She felt a bit uneasy as she looked over the well dressed man before her. His suit and tie looked like they came right off the rack at a department store, and the glasses he wore didn't help either. She also noticed the mole on his cheek, and it furthered her unease. She swallowed visibly, portraying her uneasiness, and then he spoke. She watched as he got down to her and smiled gently at her. "Hi Shania. My name is Jarod Keller, and I'm your new social case worker." The man introduced himself to her. Something didn't feel right, and she instinctively knew what it was.

"No. You are not a social worker." Shania replied quietly but with a hint of authority. Just like that, she saw right through him. However, she couldn't get his angle. She normally saw what it was that deceitful people wanted, but not this man. She sensed that he wanted to help her, but she didn't understand why he had to deceive her as well.

Jarod stood there, taken aback at how quickly this girl before him had seen through his pretend. Most adults never suspected a thing, and yet a young female teen took less than a second to figure it out. Instantly, he knew he had found the girl that the Centre wants and more importantly why. He was about to say something, but he was stopped by a familiar voice from out in the hall. "We're here for the Blankenship girl. Here is our paperwork." The voice had a hint of malice that was completely unmistakable. Jarod knew that the sweeper named Willie would succeed in taking Shania and him as a bonus if they did not leave quickly.

Shania was waiting for a response from Jarod, but instead heard one from out in the hallway. She quickly recognized the voice, and literally froze in place. When the door knob rattled to admit someone into the room, she began to frantically search for a way out. Her mind calmed as she spied the window, and she started to run toward it. However, she didn't make it half way there before a strong arm snaked around her waist halting her advancement toward safety. Next, she found herself being carried in the other direction.

The reaction Shania had to Willie's voice was not lost on Jarod. He saw as she raced toward the closed window in an attempt to escape the ruthless Centre sweeper, and he knew there wasn't enough time for a clean escape. Instead, he grabbed her waist and half carried and half led her in the opposite direction. He had seen what must have been a closet at one point while waiting for her to arrive. His plan was to hide in there until the ghost was clear, and Willie and team were gone.

Next thing Shania knew was that she was stuffed into a small closet with the man who had tried to be her social worker, and she didn't like it. "Just what do you…" a hand that didn't belong to her clamped over her mouth, effectively stopping her question. She resisted the urge to bite down on it, just as soon as she heard footsteps enter the room. She froze once again as that voice demanded in the same tone as before.

"Where is she?" The two hiding in the closet began to hold their breath as the sounds of searching began in the room on the other side of the door. They could feel each other's nervousness as those terrifying sounds got closer to the door. Then just as the door knob started to rattle, the caretaker spoke up.

"Her social worker was here with her a few moments ago. Perhaps they took a walk?" The nice woman asked, and Jarod & Shania heard her get shoved out of the way as all too familiar footsteps left in a hurry. After a few moments of silence, Jarod carefully exited the closet with Shania in tow. The two of them stopped in their tracks as they noticed the nice caretaker observing them from the doorway. "I suggest that you take Shania and leave quickly, sir. I don't trust those men, even if they did have the appropriate papers to take her. You sir, I trust." She told them as she ushered them out into the hall and down to the exit.


	3. On the Run

_**Disclaimer:**__ Jarod and the Centre do not belong to me, but they do belong to Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. Only Shania Blankenship, her relationships with everyone, and the plot are mine. So please ask before using them (Ok, so not really the concept of the plot). This is a work in progress, so please bear with me for however long it takes to finish._

**Reasons**

**By TweetyPie82**

_**Chapter Two: On the Run**_

_(The Centre; Blue Cove, DE; 1996)_

An older gentleman with white, thin hair sat behind a massive desk in a spacious office. He was facing the window that looked out from the building with the phone's receiver to his ear. Only one side of the phone conversation could be heard, "Yes sir… We are very close to capturing Jarod and the girl… No sir, we do not think that the two of them know who they really are… Yes sir, I will keep you posted." Then the man hung up just in time for a beautiful younger woman to walk through the door.

The woman held herself with a cold aire about herself, which was the reason that those around her had dubbed her "The Ice Princess". She walked up to the desk and leaned forward as if to intimidate the man into revealing an answer to something. "Daddy, what is 'Cambion'? It is nowhere in our mainframe."

The man only leaned back into his chair, un-phased by her demeanor. "Now Angel, where id you hear that from?" He replied calmly, in a tone that gave false innocence.

"I heard it from Jarod, Daddy." The woman replied back and waited for an answer from her father.

"Angel, Cambion is a new level of genesis. Cambions are the next generation of Pretenders. They can do everything a Pretender can do and more. The reason you haven't been able to find it in the mainframe is because it has not moved past the planning stages." The man answered reluctantly as he looked at his daughter coolly.

Before the woman could reply, the office door opened to reveal the head of a balding but timid man. "Excuse me Mr. Parker, but I need to notify Miss Parker that we have a lead on Jarod." The newcomer stated to the father and daughter pair.

"Broots, tell Sydney to get ready to go. Then have them prepare the jet for our departure. Daddy, I'll see you when I get back." Miss Parker answered man before following him out.

_(Jarod's Lair; Seattle, WA)_

Shania had been with Jarod for about six months, and she still did not understand why the two of them had to basically live out of a suitcase. Even then at times they had to leave it behind. However, he never left that silver briefcase behind. At that moment, Jarod was at his newest job of museum curator and Shania was left alone. She just truly did not know the depth of the situation, so she decided to remedy that herself. She knew that Jarod would not be back for a few more hours, so she got out that all important briefcase and sat it down on the coffee table.

Shania opened the satchel to reveal what looked like a laptop from hell to her. It didn't take her long to figure out how it worked. She figured that the small looking DVD's went into the opening, and the big ball in the center was for camera movement and zoom. She also figured that the keyboard was used for the other function of a player. Within five minutes of opening the case, she was already on her way to find some answers.

Shania had lost herself in the footage of what she immediately knew was Jarod. The way this Centre had treated him, making him do these 'simulations', did not sit well with her. The first footage she saw had the words displayed in the lower left hand corner of the screen, 'JAROD 2/4/63 - FOR CENTRE USE ONLY'. She suddenly wanted to know what this centre was, and why the seemed to interested in Jarod. She continued to watch the footage until she came to one with the date of 5/20/70. Her hand was covering her mouth and her clearly shown that she was in total shock. "Shania…" the voice she had come to know and trust over the last half year sounded loud from behind her. She of course jumped a whole foot in the air, and attempted to hide her invasion of his privacy. Even if she knew he had already caught her.

"Shania, please don't. I didn't want you to find out this way… I just didn't know how to tell you…" She turned around to see Jarod standing at the doorway looking a bit sad, but she knew he wasn't sad at her. She knew he was sad at his life she had seen on those mini DVD's. She watched as he tossed his props for his current pretend on to the chair in the corner before settling next to her on the couch. He leaned back after closing the case. He looked exhausted, but she couldn't ell if it was from being on the run or if it was just one heck of a day at the museum. She felt like he could use something from her, and she leaned into his side in a silent way of telling him that it would be alright. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth when she felt his arm wrap around her. "Come on. Let's hear them. I'll answer any of your questions." He said to her as his hand rubbed her arm in a comforting way.

"Jarod, what is the 'Centre'? Why do they want you so badly? Those men at the children's home in Texas that tried to adopt me, did they work for this 'Centre'? If so, then why did they want me? Why did you save me?" Shania rambled off from here her head rested against his chest. Her mind quickly went through quadrillions of explanations to her own questions, but she would rather wait on his answers.

Jarod sighed heavily as his mind quickly grasped the answers she wanted and decided to stat at the top. "The Centre is a privately owned think-tank facility in Blue Cove, Delaware. I can be anything I want to be. I can be a doctor, an engineer, or an astronaut. They want me because I'm a Pretender, a genius with the ability to literally become anyone. Yes, those men from the home work for the Centre, and they want you because you are special. Shania, you are a genius that can see though a lie. A twelve year-old normally wouldn't have graduated high school and nearly have an associate degree. As for why I saved you, I didn't want your life to be like that." He said as he pointed to the silver case on the coffee table in front of them. He then paused as if something occurred to him. "Did you ever do theatre in school?" He asked her thoughtfully.

Shania pulled away slightly to look at him a bit puzzled. "Sure. I used to love thinking and acting out the character I was playing. Why?" She remembered how she enjoyed donning a persona when she was acting. She could almost become the character, like she was the character. She looked at Jarod, waiting on him to continue with whatever path of thought he was going down.

Jarod looked down at her, taking in her inquisitive expression. "Because that is a sign of a Pretender, someone who can become anyone they chose to be. However, I cannot immediately tell when I am being lied to. You can. From what I had read of the file the Centre has on you, you do not have to be there in person to be able to see the lie. That is what makes you so special, Shania." He explained to her the difference between the two of them. However, he did not tell her that the Centre had all ready made plans to use her for government contracts. He knew that they would be using her to improve their undercover operatives cover and training them to be able to lie so well that it would be like telling the truth. The there was Mr. Raines to consider. The man had all ready assigned himself as her caretaker, and that was not good. All of the children that here in his care ended up 'broken'. Jarod would do anything to keep that from happening to Shania.


End file.
